A flash memory device consists of memory cells and a page buffer in a core memory block, along with peripheral circuitry for exchanging data with a controller. Since the introduction of flash memory devices on the consumer market, they have gained widespread popularity and acceptance, while their original asynchronous interface to the controller has remained unchanged for the most part.
Recently, certain improvements in flash memory technology have been developed, but require an interface design that is incompatible with conventional flash memory devices. To allow conventional flash memory devices to nevertheless benefit from the improved technology, use of a bridge chip has been contemplated. A bridge chip would provide a bidirectional interface between an improved controller and conventional flash memory devices.
It will be appreciated that the design of a bridge chip poses various challenges, at least some of these being associated with the need to temporarily store data to be transferred to a conventional flash memory device.